New beginnings
by Ikasashimi
Summary: AU.Oz was found on the beach, without any memories. What will happen once he regains them. Will it be for the better or worse?


Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for the plot and my original characters.... which is everyone except Alice, Oz, and Raven.

Ikasashimi: Hi everybody!!! I'm back with another story I wrote for a school project. This one was for English Elective. We were doing readers theatre and thought that it would be cool to make our own script instead of finding one on the internet. It was a hit in my class :D and we got a great score, so I decided to share it with you guys. If you notice any grammar mistakes I apologize in advance. Before I forget I'd like to thank my friend Tearless sonnet, who helped me fix all the grammatical errors she found in the story :"

Anyway, on with the story!!

* * *

The wind howled in the night, as a lone figure was washed up on the beach. He was soaked to the bone, and the night was just getting colder. Exhausted, he could not move. He lay there hoping to find peace. Just as he was about to drift into a deep slumber, he heard a voice...

"Toto! Where are you? Come on you silly dog! We need to get back home before it gets any colder!"

He lay on the sand, listening for any sign of life. Anything that proved he didn't imagine that voice. He felt something warm and furry lie beside him. He sighed as the heat slowly spread around his arm.

"Toto! There you are!"

He heard a grasp. He opened his eyes ever so slightly, and saw a girl staring at him.

"Are you okay?" she asked. He could only manage a slight nod.

"Toto stay here, I'll go get Aly."

She ran towards the woods nearby, leaving him with her dog. The dog dutifully lay next to him, until the girl returned with another girl. She seemed to be her sister. Both had amethyst eyes and long black hair. The older girl bent down next to him, examining him from head to toe. "We have to get him back to the hut, or else..." she left her sentence hanging, but everyone knew what it meant. 'Or else...he's going to die.' The girl, apparently named Aly, lifted him into her arms, with her help they managed to carry him towards the woods.

He woke up the next day, finding himself on a small bed, in a hut. Next to him the girl was squeezing the excess water out of a cloth. When she turned around, she smiled.

"How are you feeling?"

He tried to speak, but found it hard. His throat was so dry and his tongue felt like sandpaper. Realizing his problem, the girl left to get a small canteen with water. He chugged almost all of it when Aly returned. She was carrying a small basket.

"Hey, you're finally awake. You slept for so long I almost thought you were dead."

He thought of it as an insult, but the smile on Aly's face told him otherwise. She sat down next to the girl, placing her basket in front of him.

"So...how did you end up half-dead on the beach?" He seemed to think about it.

"I don't know..." he said after some thought. Both of the girls looked at him, confused.

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"It's just like I said... I don't know..." he said.

His shoulders hunched over, his emerald green eyes looked older than they seemed.

"I can't remember..." He said softly.

Both girls started at him with the pity in their eyes. Wanting to break the awkward silence, the girl introduced herself.

"My name is Alice, and this is my older sister Aly." He looked at them, examining them closely.

"Are you twins?"

Both girls looked at him smiling.

"Who do you think is older?"

The boy thought for a moment. "Alice?"

"Wrong!" Aly said, glad that he had gotten that wrong. "I'm the older one."

"Yup, even if it's only by two minutes." said Alice.

Then she whispered "She loves to feel superior, so she rubs it in my face all the time."

Aly looked like she was going to explode, and Alice's smirk wasn't helping.

So she wouldn't beat Alice into a pulp she looked at the boy and said "Oh, I almost forgot. What's your name?"

"Oz"

"That's an unusual name."

"My parents loved musicals. So they decided to name me after one of my mother's favourites. 'The wizard of Oz' " he said with pride.

"Wait... I thought you said you couldn't remember anything." Said Aly. Her eyes full of suspicion.

"You only assumed that. I don't remember anything, except my name, birthday, my parents, and..." his eyes seemed to be staring at something far away. He had remembered something extremely painful.

"Oz? Are you okay?" asked Alice

"I...I just remembered something about my parents"

"Did something bad happen to them?" Asked Aly.

Her question received a smack on the head from Alice.

"You're not supposed to ask something like that!"

"It's okay..." said Oz breaking their fight. "I understand that she's curious."

"She may be curious, but that doesn't excuse her." Said Alice as she huffed.

"I'm sorry to ask, but did something bad happen to them?" Aly asked.

Oz looked at them for a moment, and then he stared at the floor. Allowing his hair to cover his eyes.

"They died..."

Both girls were shocked into silence. It was no wonder his eyes looked so sad. It is a horrible ordeal for someone to lose someone as dear as their parents. This they knew very well.

He took a deep breath and told them his story.

"I'm 19, so it was around 9 years ago...when I was 10. My parents were both actors. They were quite famous in their time, but after some accident they never told me about they were fired. Instead, they were hired as actors for musicals. We moved from my hometown to another city, where my parents were to work.

"I was at a friend's house that day... and my parents were at the theatre, practicing. Our driver came to pick me up, and we were on our way to the theatre when I saw it. My parents were walking out of the building to meet us. There was a gunshot, and my father fell. My mother bent down next to him, and another shot was heard. I ran towards my mother, as her body hit the ground....But I was too late...

"Both of my parents were shot, and I...I could only catch a glimpse of their killer! And to make things worse all I saw was the tattoo of a serpent...

"After that incident, I was placed in the care of one of my parent's friends. He took care of me and taught me everything I know...but I can't remember most of what happened after that. It's weird... I know how old I am and everything else, but there's this huge gap in my memory, like how I ended up on the beach."

Both girls contemplated on what he told them. For some reason, that story seemed familiar.

"What were your parent's names?"

Oz looked confused. "Jack and Evangeline Bezarius" Both girls had their faces scrunched up in concentration. The names and the event had triggered some long forgotten memory within them, but they just couldn't dig it up from the dark corners of their minds.

"Anyway, I'm sure you feel well enough for a tour of the village." Said Aly as she stood up.

And so they toured the whole village. Oz discovered that the village, was one of those small villages in the mountains. No as rural as the ones you see in the movies, but quite modern. The only similarity was that they were secluded and separated from the rest of society. Each building or house was small meaning, only a small amount of people could fit. The biggest building was the town hall near the plaza.

As he went around, he saw that most of the people were farmers, including Alice and Aly. Their farm was one of the biggest around. They grew all sorts of vegetables. Their problem was that they had no workers on the land, so they did everything themselves. It surprised Oz that their parents weren't there to help them, but he knew not to ask. It was a touchy subject to most people, and Oz learned that it was wise to stay away from topics like that.

To repay them for their gratitude, Oz decided to help them around the farm. The girls gladly accepted his offer, and so little by little Oz learned how things worked around the farm and was dragged into their daily routine. They tended to the animals and crops every day, once in a while they would rest, but it wasn't very often. So a day off was like a gift from heaven to them. Most of their day offs were in winter, when there were no crops to tend to. It was during one winter night that Oz realized he had fallen hopelessly in love with Alice.

They had gone out to get supplies for winter, when they had stumbled upon the remains of an animal. They didn't think that the creature that ate it would still be around. So you could imagine how surprised they were to find a wolf. It was extremely hungry and attacked with a desperate kind of ferocity. Oz was standing next to Aly when it happened. Hearing her scream, he turned around to find the wolf running towards Alice. Powered by adrenaline he ran towards her. His vision turned red as the wolf bite her on her ankle. He grabbed the wolf around the stomach and held it while Aly helped Alice walk away. The wolf fought, desperate to escape. It bit Oz in any place it could reach, but Oz wouldn't let go. Aly, who was skilled with the bow and arrow, shot it. The wolf snarled once more, then lay limp in Oz's arms. They went home to tend to both the wounds of Alice and Oz, abandoning the wolf's corpse in the forest. Since, then Oz was extremely protective around her. Never letting her out of his sight, unless he was sure she was safe.

"You know you act like a jealous boyfriend around Alice right?" said Aly as they carried the wood Oz had chopped towards the hut.

"I do not." He replied as he struggled to keep himself from blushing.

Aly sighed. "You know everyone knows you like her. It pretty obvious"

Oz sighed in defeat "Are you going to give me a lecture?"

Aly laughed "Of course not. It would hurt your ego wouldn't it. An 18 year old giving a lecture to a 19 year old."

Oz smiled mischievously "You know me so well"

When they reached the hut, they placed the wood in a neat stack outside. Then bending down towards the snow covered ground, Oz grabbed a handful of snow and threw it at Aly.

"Why you!" exclaimed Aly as they started their snowball fight. She threw a snowball towards Oz narrowly missing his face.

"That was good. You're almost as good as..."

Oz's face crumpled in pain as he sank to the ground, clutching his head. Alice came out to see what all the noise was about and was shocked to find Oz on the ground. They stayed by his side, until his face no longer showed any sign of pain.

But even when the pain had passed Oz was still tense, his body was set in a rigged position, and his eyes were staring into space.

"I remember..." he said. His voice barely louder than a whisper.

"Oz are you okay?"

"I'm fine...I just recovered the rest of my memory..."

"Really? That's great" exclaimed Aly, she wanted to congratulate him, but stopped when she saw his face.

His face looked neutral, but his eyes showed his hidden agony and hatred. The whole day, he stayed quiet. No one mentioned anything about what happened.

The next day, he returned to his normal self. Acting as if nothing happened, but if you looked close enough, you would notice his hesitation or how sad he looked when he smiled. It was heartbreaking for Alice to watch him suffer.

The sun had started to set, signalling the end of the day. Alice peeked into Oz's room and found him sitting on a chair, staring at the snow that was staring to fall outside.

"Oz..." she called tentatively.

"Hmm...Oh, Hi Alice." He replied.

"Oz is something bothering you?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

"You've been acting weird since..."

Oz flinched at the memory.

"Oz I just want to help."

"I don't need it" he said his voice as cold as ice. Alice flinched. He never spoke like that to her and it scared her. Apparently Oz noticed and his expression softened.

"I appreciate it... but I don't need your help I'm perfectly fine." Alice recognized his tone. It was a tone he used when he hid his wounds, because he didn't want anyone to worry.

"Just stop the facade! I know there's something wrong! You're just too stubborn to ask for anyone's help."

Oz glared at her. "What I do is none of your business! Besides, why do you even care!"

"Because I love you!" she stopped when she realized what she said.

She just confessed, and Oz was staring at her in surprise. Gathering her courage she repeated it softly "I...love you"

Oz's smiled at her. "The feeling is mutual."

Alice thought her heart would stop beating, as she stared at him. But his smile became a sad one as he caressed her cheek.

"I don't deserve you..."

"Is this about what you remembered?"

Oz stayed silent

"Oz... I don't care about what your past. I only care about you."

"You wouldn't if you knew what I did."

"Oz I just told you... I don't care. I love you, and that's all there is to it" She struggled to understand his hesitation, and why he hid his past.

Oz looked at her, and as a tear fell from his eye as he said...

"Alice...I'm an assassin."

Silence filled the room, as Alice stared at him. The boy she was in love with...killed people. She was confused, but she stared at him and said " I don't care."

"I don't remember it, but I'm sure I've killed people. I've seen people get killed and just stood there. How can someone like me, but with someone as pure as you?" Shocked by his words, she remained silent.

Oz gazed at her silently and taking her silence as rejection, he left...

Alice turned around to chase him ,but he was gone. He left most of his clothes, but some things were missing. With no one around, she allowed the tears she held in to flow freely as she lay on his bed and sobbed.

Outside Aly had watched the whole thing, when Oz ran out she followed him.

He had reached the border of the forest when Aly caught up with him.

"Oz!" He turned around and saw Aly panting from running, her black hair was messed up, and her amethyst eyes were glaring at him.

"How could you leave Alice like that? She's sobbing her heart out and you're walking away like a coward."

Oz gave her one of his iciest glares. "I am not a coward."

She laughed sarcastically.

"Oh really now?! You think you're not a coward? You walked away, because you were afraid...afraid of what she could have said...afraid that she would reject you!"

Though he would never admit it, he was truly afraid of what she would say, but he had another reason to leave.

"If I stayed what do you think would happen?!" he shouted at her. "She could get hurt with me around. If the others learned that I was alive then they could.... they could...." he couldn't finish his sentence, but Aly understood.

"They could kill her"

"See. This is why I'm leaving. This is the only reason I'm not running back to her."

"We won't care. If they come after you we'll fight or something like that. Just don't leave. You're going to hurt her."

"That won't do... They stronger and faster than I am. You wouldn't last 5 seconds against them."

In her anger she rushed towards him, ready to punch him in the nose. In an instant he had he pinned to a tree, his hand around her throat.

"I could kill you right now. If you can't beat me, what makes you think you can beat them?"

He let go of her neck and she fell on the ground. Her shoulders were slumped over in defeat. He knew he had hurt them both, but sometimes when you care about someone you have to make sacrifices. Even if it meant leaving the ones you love most. With one last look he ran into the woods, never looking back.

The next morning, both girls were silent as they went through the day. They were on their way to the plaza when they heard a crowd of people talking near the town hall. They approached the crowd and managed to hear the announcement.

"A boy, around the age of 19 was kidnapped last night. Witnesses have reported a group of suspicious people nearby. All villagers are to observe a new curfew starting today so that we will be able to prevent another kidnapping."

Many villagers were shouting at the mayor, asking why such a thing has happened in their quiet village. Alice and Aly were staring at them in shock.

"Where did they bring the boy?" asked Alice.

The mayor looked confused. "They were headed towards the south, that's what the reports say, but there is nothing but fields there."

"Are you completely sure?" asked Aly.

"Yes, but why ask it's not like you would be able to find the boy. We have already sent a search party. They haven't been able to find them."

Alice lost all hope of finding them, as they walked away from the crowd and back towards the hut. They were thinking of continuing their chores, when they noticed Toto. The black dog was easy to spot in the snow as it ran towards the woods.

"Toto! Come back!" shouted Aly.

"Alice I need you to bring the stuff back to the hut, and don't think of doing anything reckless while I'm gone."

As Aly ran off to catch their dog, Alice rode back home. She had put everything in their places and was seated outside. She decided to walk around the woods, knowing that it would take hours for Aly to come back.

She had already been walking for an hour, when she saw a group of people huddled around a fire. Their makeshift camp was surrounded by bushes, making it easier to hide, and making it easier for Alice to spy on them.

"I told you we should have given him the usual bullet in the head" said one of the men.

His golden brown hair glowed in the firelight. His dark brown eyes were staring intently at the person he was speaking to

"If you thought of that then we wouldn't be in this mess."

The girl in the group glared at him "He was one of us! You can't expect us to kill one of us like that. It's against our morals."

"Since when did assassins have morals?!"

"Shut up! Besides it was your idea to toss him in the ocean anyway!"

"Maybe you didn't knock him unconscious, he might have been awake when we threw him."

"He was practically dead when you beat him to a pulp. You can't expect him to live, after something like that!"

They both glared at each other, while shouting colourful lines of curse words. The third in the group, with dark black hair and eyes and looked a lot younger than the others, stepped in between them.

"I swear! You guys bicker like a married couple."

"Shut up Raven!" Yelled the man.

Raven glared at him. "I was just stating the truth Leo"

Both men were glaring at each other, ready to rip each other's throats out, when the girl intervened.

"Stop it! We can' t keep fighting. We have to think of a way to escape, before we get caught! There are villagers everywhere looking for this kid."

"Yes Viper..." said both men as they sat down.

"I told you to stop using that nickname! It's getting on my nerves!" she said, annoyed at how the two always called her by her pet name. "Just because everyone calls me that doesn't mean you can't call me by my real name."

Leo sighed "Fine Vera. We get it already. Sheesh, you have to calm down."

Alice listened intently as they discussed their plans to escape.

"Leo will you be okay handling the boy?"

"Just because he's my nephew doesn't mean I care if he lives or dies."

"But, you trained him."

"I only did it because I wanted to make him the opposite of what his father wanted him to be. If his father had decided to walk the path of the assassin then the boy wouldn't be in this mess."

Alice watched in horror, as he put the bag, containing Oz, over his shoulder and walked towards a tree. Fearing the worst, she got ready to stop him, instead he tied the bag to the tree. Satisfied, he joined the rest of the group and sat down.

Alice silently ran back towards the hut, hoping that Aly was back with Toto.

That night when everyone had decided to go to sleep, Raven snuck out of his tent and headed towards the tree.

Oz was awake, and heard their plans. When he heard footsteps, he hoped it wasn't Alice or Aly. If any of them were caught they could be killed. Instead of Alice or Aly he heard another voice.

"Psst. Oz! Are you alive in there?"

"Yup. Long time no see Raven"

"So what have you been up to?"

"I've just been hanging around"

"I can help you escape, but I'm going to need you to follow my instructions carefully."

Oz complied, and in no time at all Oz was free.

"Thanks for the help."

"I owe you. So now we're equal, but before you go I need you to knock me unconscious, put me in the bag, and tie it to the tree."

Oz looked horrified.

"NO I will not let you die!"

"Don't worry. They're going to open the bag when we get back to headquarters. So instead of finding you, they'll find me."

"Won't they be suspicious?"

"Nope. You just have to make it look like you escaped and used me to replace you."

"I still don't think it's a great idea"

"It's okay. I'll still go through it, with or without your help."

Oz sighed as he did what Raven said. Soon Raven was the one inside the bag hanging from the tree.

"Good luck... You're going to need it" he whispered before he ran into the forest.

Alice on the other hand reached home, before Aly and seeing as there wouldn't be much time, she grabbed a few supplies and ran back to the camp.

She hid in the bushes again, but after an hour of watching, she fell asleep in the warmth of her sleeping bag. She woke up hours later, only to find the campsite empty.

"Darn it! I overslept!"

She hastily packed her stuff, and ran.

"They really move fast" she exclaimed as she frantically ran to catch up. After a while, she saw the group walking to the outskirts of the forest. Realizing that she could get caught, she silently stalked them. Her experience from hunting, along with the help of her hunting boots, allowed her to quietly follow them. When they passed the borderline of trees she realized they were on the main road leading towards the city. The city Oz had told her about before...the place where his parents were killed.

She followed them through the alleyways, until they entered a small house. She followed inside, carefully taking note of her surroundings. She heard the voice of Vera, and peeked through the open door. She saw her sitting on a large armchair, Raven was nowhere to be found and Leo looked angry.

"Why did that kid have to wander off? Now we're missing one member, and we have to dispose of another one!" he said as he pointed to towards the bag.

"It was Raven's choice. Maybe like Oz, he chickened out..."she sneered. "Anyway it doesn't matter. We have what we were out to get, and we can finally finish the job."

Alice gasped and unknowingly took a step forward. The floorboard creaked under her weight. Leo turned and saw her. She turned around to run, but before she could even take a step. Leo had caught her by the ankle, causing her to trip.

"Well, well, what do we have here? A spy, perhaps?" Leo carried her over his shoulder as she struggled to escape his grip.

"It seems we have a spy" said Leo as he brought Alice towards Vera. Vera looked at her closely. Then there was a spark of recognition in her eyes.

"How old are you?"

"Huh?"

"How old are you?" she repeated with a tone of urgency in her voice.

"18" she stuttered

"Do you have a twin sister?"

Alice stared at her in shock. "How d-did you know that?"

Vera looked overwhelmed by the information. Then regaining her composure she said "It seems you don't remember me...little sister."

Alice looked at her for a while, examining the features of her face.

"It can't be!"

"Hello Alice"

"I thought you were...d-d-d"

"Dead?" Vera laughed a sinister laugh "That's what mom wanted you to believe. I bet she was afraid of you finding out."

"Finding out what?"

"That our father was an assassin..."

Alice stared at her in shock.

"Our father was one of the best assassins, sadly when he fell in love with our mother he...lost his touch. He decided to pass on his knowledge to his heir, which of course was me. Mom didn't want him to teach me the way of the assassin, but he didn't listen. So on the day of that accident he took me away from the two of you, and mom."

Alice remembered that day. She was around 9 when it happened. Their house was burned down. Her mother had taken all three of them out of the house, but then their father came and took Vera away. The house collapsed and they thought they had perished underneath the ruins of their home. Apparently, they were mistaken.

Her mother became depressed, and died when they were of her mother's friends taught them how to manage the farm. Since then they lived alone, only depending on each other.

"Can you imagine a girl living with an unforgiving, relentless father who only cared whether she was the best ? A girl who, at the age of 11 had to live without her mother?" cried Vera as she stood up from her chair. She stared at Alice loathing her very existence.

"The two of you were so spoiled. Always with mom, while I had to suffer training with dad! Then after all these years you come here and rub it in my face! You're both extremely lucky to be able to live with mom your whole lives." Her eyes glittered with her unshed tears as Alice lifted her head to look at her.

"She's dead..."

"What?!"

"Mom is dead..."

Vera stared at her with an expression of shock. She fell unto the chair, she was sitting on earlier.

"She's....gone? I bet she never missed me..." she said bitterly

"She died a few years after the accident. They said it was from depression...she was extremely sad the day we lost you."

Vera could feel the tears as they fell from her eyes. Leo had long since let Alice go, and was now standing next to Vera.

"Snap out of it! An assassin never cries! Remember what your father told you." shouted Leo as he shook Vera by the shoulders.

"An assassin can never cry, until it's all over."

Vera stared at him with her tear stained eyes. Out of anger Leo hit her hard on the face.

"You're worthless! You're father had the delusion that he could make an assassin out of you, but I am telling you right now that you were a waste of his time!"

Vera looked like she was punched in the gut.

"You were never able to finish the job. No matter what he tried, you could never kill. You're just like Oz!"

Alice's eyes widened realizing that her sister had remembered what their mother had taught them long ago.

"All life is sacred."

"What did you say?!"

"I said all life is sacred."

"I've had enough you both!"

As he raised his arm to hit her, there was a feral growl.

"DON'T YOU DARE HURT HER!"

Oz rushed through the doorway and jumped on Leo. The two wrestled, while Aly came in. She stared at Alice, then turned to look towards Vera. She felt so happy to see her sister alive.

Oz and Aly arrived after Alice was caught. They were so engrossed in the conversation that they forgot the reason they were there in the first place, but when Leo tried to hurt Alice, Oz went berserk.

They were still wrestling on the ground, while Vera was silently crying, her calm and composed facade was gone, exposing the real Vera.

"Well, well I never expected to see you Oz" said Leo.

"Same here"

"Why not give up? We both know I'm stronger than you"

"Never"

Realization dawned in Leo's eyes as he stared at Oz.

"You're in love with her!" he said as he laughed "How cliché. I guess I'm the bad guy in this little fairytale."

Then without warning he punched Oz in the stomach and ran towards Alice and Aly. Aly saw him comming and stood to block his way. He threw her against the wall as he stalked toward Alice. Alice closed her eyes when she saw the blade of his knife.

"Leave her alone!"

Leo looked towards Vera who was glaring at him.

"Stay out of this Vera!"

"She said leave her alone" Everyone stared as Raven stood up.

"It was so nice of you to forget me inside that bag." he said sarcastically.

Leo, out of desperation, took out another knife and threw it at Alice.

"Alice!"

Oz ran, but he didn't make it. The knife lodged itself into her stomach. She allowed a tear to escape as she fell. Oz caught her before she hit the floor, but her blouse was covered with blood...too much blood.

"It hurts" she whined as he gazed at her.

"It's okay. Everything will be fine"

She sat up and pressed her lips against his. He kissed her back, but all too suddenly her lips turned cold. He held her up, as she smiled at him and closed her eyes. He could feel the tears coming, as he stared at Alice's sleeping face.

"Aly! Hurry and take her to the hospital!" Aly quickly carried Alice in her arms and ran out, with Vera.

Leo on the other hand was smiling.

"It too bad she won't make it."

Oz glared at him. His eyes filled with hate.

"I'm going to kill you!"

As he ran towards him, blinded by hate, Leo pulled out a gun and pointed it at Oz.

BANG

The sound of the gunshot echoed around the room. Oz watched in horror as Raven fell towards the floor. Leo on the other hand, had a knife lodged in his chest. With one last look at Oz,he closed his eyes, never to open them again.

Oz leaned over Raven.

"Raven...I'm so sorry! It's all my fault!"

"Shut up Oz! Listen to what I have to say. I deserve what happened to me. I owe you more than you imagine, so please don't feel sad."

"I don't understand"

"Lift up the sleeve of my shirt"

Curious, Oz lifted up Raven's sleeve and stared. On Raven's arm was the tattoo of a serpent.

"You..."

"I'm sorry. I killed your parents. That was my first job. Unlike you I didn't back out on my first job. I didn't really think about the consequences of my actions... I was wrong. When I saw you run towards them. The way you cried and glared at me when I ran away. It made me think. 'Was I wrong to kill them?' So I tried to make it up to you... I helped you without asking anything in return...most of the time, but nothing can undo the damage I've done."

Oz looked at the man who helped him when he trained to be an assassin. He also saw the man who killed his parents. He could not feel any hatred, only sadness. He smiled at Raven.

"Don't worry. I forgive you... Just stay with us..."

Raven smiled back. "I'm sorry Oz, but it's my time..."

With one last smile, Raven closed his eyes.

Oz ran to the hospital, tears stinging his eyes as he approached the receptionist. She sighed with sadness and pointed towards the direction of the ER.

"Oz... They said Alice could make it... b-but she's lost so much blood...the said there is a chance she could live, but her chance of living is slim." Sobbed Aly as she gripped unto Oz's shirt. Vera was silently sobbing on the chair next to her. Oz stared at them in disbelief. His knuckles were white from his death grip on the chair.

When he sat down a doctor came out and let them enter the room, where Alice was sleeping.

"I'll give you some time alone with the patient."

As he left, they all sat on the chairs next to the bed.

The beeping of the monitor annoyed Oz. It reminded him too much of the fact that she was dying.

He held her hand. It was so cold compared to his.

"Alice you can do this. Everyone is waiting for you. I promise when you wake up I'll take you to the field I found last week. I promised I would bring you there. Do you remember? You kept whining, asking if I could take you earlier. Then you made me promise to bring you there on the first week of spring."

Aly stood next to the bed, holding Vera's hand. The poor girl was sobbing. She just discovered her mom was dead and now her sister's dying. Oz stared at her, just like her sisters she had black hair, but unlike them she had emerald green eyes. You could have mistaken Vera and Oz for siblings, if it wasn't for their difference in hair color.

"Alice, do you still remember that time when we were kids? When we would play near the pond. Vera would braid your hair and you would put flowers in mine. We could do that again if you like. The river near the hut, would be a nice place to stay. We can pick flowers in spring, and then we can teach Vera how to take care of the crops, then introduce her to Toto." Aly's voice cracked from the tears, she tried so hard to hold back.

Everyone watched in anticipation, when she moved a little. Oz's heart fluttered , in his eyes was the light of hope. Then the silence was shattered by the sound of the monitor. It was a flat line. Vera ran out to call a nurse. Soon the room was full of doctors, trying to revive her. They did all they could, but one doctor approached them. His head hung low.

"I'm sorry..."

Aly and Vera started sobbing even harder. Oz watched as the nurses removed the wires from her body. One nurse offered Aly and Vera a box of tissue.

He closed his eyes trying to picture the happy Alice. The Alice full of life. His Alice...not the Alice that lay on the bed. His Alice was not some lifeless corpse.

But the sobs of Aly brought him back to reality. Alice was gone. Allowing himself to cry, he started to sob.

"Oz?" said a soft voice. He looked up as saw Alice's eyes open.

"Why are you crying?"

Oz jumped up and crashed his lips unto hers.

"Alice never do that again!!"

The doctors and nurses were cheering and hugging each other. Everyone was overwhelmed by the miracle that occurred.

Aly and Vera were hugging Alice like there was no tomorrow. Alice was just confused.

"I thought you were dead!!" exclaimed Vera and Aly at the same time.

"I'm not dead! I'm talking to you aren't I?" Everyone laughed. Poor Alice looked like she was going to go crazy from all the confusion.

When they told her what happened after she fainted she hit Oz on the head.

"You could have gotten killed!"

Oz just smiled at her.

"That reminds me... why did you ask about my parents before?"

Alice smiled "Your mother was a friend of my mother. My mother told me about her when I asked her about her best friend. Though we don't remember it she said we stayed at your house, until your mother was able to find a home for us. She said that your parents were extremely kind."

Oz felt proud of his parents.

"Speaking of Oz's parents. When's the wedding?" asked Vera.

Alice and Oz blushed, while Vera and Aly laughed

"Don't worry Alice she's only joking." Said Aly as she laughed.

They continued to joke around, no one noticing Alice and Oz as they held each other's hand. Silently vowing never to let go...

_And the rest is still unwritten..._

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Ikasashimi: I hope you guys liked it :D and I'm sorry if I changed any of the character's attitudes and personalities too much. Reviews, comments, and suggestions are welcome. Until next time :). Ja ne!

-Ikasashimi


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